Thanksgiving
2220 recipes found
Atlantic Beach Pie
Like a dreamy mash-up between a key lime and lemon meringue pie, this surprisingly fast and easy dessert is adapted from Bill Smith, who retired in 2019 after 25 years as the chef at Crook’s Corner, a Chapel Hill, N.C. restaurant that closed in June 2021. He was inspired by the lemon pies he ate at seafood restaurants in Atlantic Beach, N.C., while vacationing there as a child. While a food processor makes quick work of the saltine cracker crust, you don’t really need any special equipment — you can just as easily make it with your hands. Top it with whipped cream just before serving, and if you’re feeling flush, sprinkle it with flaky sea salt as they did at Crook's Corner, and citrus zest as we do: a lazy summer’s day in pie form.
Dolester Miles’ Coconut Pecan Cake
This is a rich, special-occasion cake that takes the traditional Southern coconut cake to another level, with ground toasted pecans in the batter and an easy-to-make Chantilly cream for frosting. It has become the signature dessert for Dolester Miles, who serves slices over a little puddle of crème anglaise at Chez Fonfon and Bottega, and sometimes at the Highlands Bar & Grill, the Birmingham, Ala., restaurants owned by Frank and Pardis Stitt. Assembly can be a challenge, so she suggests building the cake by stacking the delicate slabs of cake with filling in between each layer into a deep, round cake pan, then slipping it into the refrigerator for about an hour. The filling acts like a delicious glue. When the cake is inverted and unmolded, the edges have an even, professional appearance.
Gingery Mixed Berry Pie
Mixed berry pie is the ultimate summertime treat: Handfuls of the season’s finest blueberries, blackberries and raspberries are tucked into a crisp, buttery crust that’s just begging to be served with a scoop of ice cream. Fresh ginger lends unexpected warmth and spice to this well-loved classic, but for a little punch, add up to 1 tablespoon of very finely minced candied ginger. If you find yourself short on one type of berry, make up the difference with another — just make sure the berries are the best you can find. For a crisp bottom crust, bake the pie in the lower third of your oven until it is deeply golden and the fruit juices are bubbling, and don’t skip the lattice top. It’s not just for looks: The vents help steam escape and the berry juices to concentrate.
Peanut Butter Pie
Dead simple to make, this pie hits all the right notes. Sweet, nutty peanut butter mellows next to the tang of rich cream cheese and gets a lift from a little whipped cream. But if that doesn’t convince you, the chocolate cookie crust may. This version relies on five ingredients, instead of pre-made cookies, with the cocoa giving it a deep chocolate flavor. The crust is pressed into a well-buttered pie plate, baked, then cooled, ready to be filled and chilled. When it's time to serve, you have options: Finish it with a decorative chocolate topping or a puff of lightly sweetened whipped cream and a sprinkling of cocoa powder.
Lane Cake
This version of the classic Southern cake takes all of fruitcake’s best elements — bourbon-soaked dried fruit, toasty pecans and shredded coconut — and weaves them into a rich, custardy filling set between three layers of tender vanilla cake. It’s a special occasion dessert and a nightcap, all rolled into one. Acetate strips (see Tip) are useful for holding the layers in place while assembling, but if finding them is too much of a bother, use parchment or follow the instructions to assemble the cake without the strips. The flavor of this cake improves with time, so allow a few hours — or even a few days — before slicing and enjoying.
Twice-Baked Potatoes
At its simplest, a twice-baked potato is creamy, cheesy mashed potatoes cradled in crisp, salty skin. That’s the recipe you see here: comforting, satisfying and pretty much ideal. But if you dream of other flavor combinations, like bacon, scallions and sour cream; blue cheese and chives; or cauliflower and Parmesan, just follow the recipe below and stir in any additions (reserving some for garnish) after the dairy in Step 3. Shower the top with more grated cheese if you like, then bake, garnish and dig in.
Air-Fryer Broccoli
Broccoli roasts beautifully in the air fryer, and in record time with minimal effort. The air fryer is especially adept at producing the Maillard reaction — the chemical processes that transform sugars and proteins in food when browned and caramelized, deepening their flavor — because the controlled, high heat draws out moisture, creating a lovely char while keeping vegetables tender and flavorful. This recipe gives the broccoli a hit of umami from soy sauce, which is bolstered in the high heat, resulting in nutty, sweet and salty notes. If you’d like more umami, a drizzle of fish sauce or chile crisp will stretch these flavors even further. A sprinkle of sesame seeds adds nuttiness, and some fresh lemon zest provides a jolt of brightness.
Roasted Green Beans With Pancetta and Lemon Zest
This simple, bright green bean dish is as welcome alongside weeknight salmon as it is a Thanksgiving turkey. Green beans are delicious roasted at a high temperature and take just 15 minutes to cook, which particularly important on Thanksgiving when oven space is precious. Trim the green beans ahead of time, and this dish will come together in a flash. Many grocery stores sell packages of diced pancetta, a shortcut that makes this recipe a cinch. If you’re dicing the pancetta yourself, make sure to chop it very finely so it roasts in time with the green beans. (This recipe is easily halved: Simply cut the quantities in half and roast all the green beans on one sheet pan. The cooking time will remain the same.)
Lemony Cauliflower With Garlic and Herbs
There aren’t many cauliflower salads as vivacious as this one, which is zipped up with plenty of lemon, herbs, garlic and one minced jalapeño. It is best made a day or two ahead, which gives all the ingredients a chance to mingle, and the raw cauliflower time to soften and absorb all of the dressing's bright, complex flavors. Although this salad needs no other seasonings, you can add capers, sliced olives or crumbled feta here for even saltier tang. The pinch of red-pepper flakes here is optional, but especially good.
Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
These mashed potatoes are extremely easy to make, and have the added benefit of being vegan. A hefty dose of garlic lends a bite to the creaminess. Make sure to use good olive oil. (For everything you need to know to make perfect potatoes, visit our potato guide.)
Air-Fryer Green Beans
Tossed simply with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, red-pepper flakes and grated garlic, green beans in the air fryer blister beautifully in a fraction of the time without heating up the oven. Equally tasty hot or at room temperature, these green beans can be made ahead and set aside if you want to cook a main dish in the air fryer after they’ve crisped. Green beans will crisp up nicely if left undisturbed in the air fryer, but like an oven, an air fryer can contain hot spots, so it’s worth shaking the green beans at least once for even cooking.
Sautéed Kale
This is a technique that elevates basic sauteed greens into something even more savory and tender.
Roasted Broccoli With Tahini Garlic Sauce
One of my favorite Middle Eastern mezze is deep-fried cauliflower served with tahini garlic sauce. I decided to try the dish with broccoli, but instead of deep-frying the broccoli I roasted it, a method that requires a lot less oil. The buds on the broccoli florets toast to a crispy brown, and the texture of the stalk remains crisp. It goes wonderfully with the classic and irresistible tahini garlic sauce.
Drop Biscuits
Drop biscuits are heavenly, and considering how little work they are to put together, they're also a real kitchen miracle. A few pantry staples and a hot oven are all you need for crunchy golden biscuits with soft interiors. They are excellent on their own, but a bit of butter and jam doesn't hurt either. Once you’ve nailed the basic version, try stirring in some cracked black pepper and Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely chopped tender herbs or chocolate chips.
Salt and Vinegar Roasted Potatoes
This recipe turns the classic potato-chip flavor into a dinner party-worthy side dish. The potatoes get a double hit of vinegar: First, they are roasted in a simple vinaigrette, then are tossed with another smack of acidity just before serving. Use white-wine vinegar for a stronger vinegar flavor, or apple cider vinegar if you want a subtler flavor.
Broccoli Salad With Garlic and Sesame
This salad is made from uncooked broccoli tossed with an assertive garlic, sesame, chile and cumin-seed vinaigrette slicked with good extra-virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar. The acid “cooks” the florets a little as ceviche does fish. After an hour, the broccoli softens as if blanched, turning bright emerald, and soaking up all the intense flavors of the dressing. You’ll be making this one again.
Skillet-Charred Green Beans
These green beans with bagna cauda flavors make a wonderful accompaniment to any meat, fish or chicken dish. The beans are simple to cook and fairly effortless, so do resist the urge to stir too often. Allow them to sit, caramelize and shrivel to bring out all of their natural sweetness. Anchovies are tossed in at the end for a bright, salty hit that complements the sweet beans and shallots. These beans can be made ahead, and are equally delicious warm or at room temperature.
Baked Spaghetti Squash
Once baked and scraped into noodle-like strands, spaghetti squash becomes a frequent pasta understudy, tossed with pesto, tomato sauce or roasted vegetables. But it’s a versatile ingredient, as its mild flavor and gentle crunch also make it a good base for stews or even curries. For a basic roasted spaghetti squash recipe, follow Step 1, scrape the insides into strands, and be on your way. For a complete side dish, proceed with the rest of the recipe and top with herby breadcrumbs and Parmesan. You can also add mozzarella, which will melt into delicious little pools among the squash strands.
Caramelized Plantains With Beans, Scallions and Lemon
Bright and earthy flavors complement each another in this easy dish in which cooked beans are tossed with lemon zest, olive oil and cayenne, and roasted sweet plantains are coated in a brown sugar, ginger and lemon glaze. Go with ripe plantains for this recipe, yellow and spotted with large black dots. You’ll need your oven's broiler setting to help caramelize the sugary coating on the plantains, and to char the scallion garnish. This dish is the perfect breakfast topped with a jammy egg, a quick lunch over a bed of fresh greens, or a satisfying side to roast chicken.
Carrot Tart With Ricotta and Feta
Carrots work beautifully in this simple tart, but onions, parsnips, beets, zucchini or pumpkin work just as well. The key is to cook the vegetables before putting them on the tart, since the moisture released by baking raw vegetables would make the puff pastry soggy and prevent it from rising. Once you remove the tart from the oven, let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting to allow the cheese to firm up slightly. The tart can be served warm, or cooled to room temperature, and would make a great addition to a picnic.
Charred Carrots With Orange and Balsamic
Ina Garten was one of the people who made roasted whole carrots fashionable for home cooks, back when “The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook” — her first — was published in 1999. Brightening up basic dishes with lemon, orange and vinegar became one of her signatures. She shared this recipe from her book “Modern Comfort Food” with The Times for Thanksgiving 2020.
One-Pot Broccoli Mac and Cheese
In the time it takes to make boxed macaroni and cheese, you can have a homemade version that’s creamy with lots of sharp Cheddar, studded with broccoli and doesn’t require making a roux. Instead, the sauce is thickened by the pasta’s starch: As the noodles cook in milk, the milk thickens to the consistency of cream and the pasta absorbs the seasonings. Here, that’s garlic powder, but you could also use mustard powder, ground cayenne or grated nutmeg like in traditional mac and cheese. The broccoli pieces end up soft and sweet, but if you want more bite, add them halfway through cooking. (Watch the video of Ali Slagle making one-pot broccoli mac and cheese here.)
Silken Tofu With Spicy Soy Dressing
This recipe is inspired by the many cold silken tofu dishes from East Asia, like Japanese hiyayakko and Chinese liangban tofu. This no-cook dish is a handy one to have up your sleeve, especially for warm evenings when the desire to cook is nonexistent. Silky soft tofu is draped in a punchy soy dressing, creating a lively dish with little effort. The tofu is ideally served cold, but 10 minutes at room temperature can take the edge off. Make it your own with other fresh herbs such as Thai basil, mint or shiso leaves, or add crunch with fried shallots or roasted peanuts. A salty, fermented element like kimchi, pickled radish or ja choi, also known as zha cai, a Sichuan pickled mustard root, would work well, too. One block of silken tofu is usually enough to feed two people, but for a more substantial meal, serve it with hot rice or noodles to create a pleasing contrast of temperatures. To get vegetarian recipes like this one delivered to your inbox, sign up for The Veggie newsletter .
Glazed Shiitakes With Bok Choy
Gorgeous glazed shiitake mushrooms and tender green bok choy sparked with ginger, sesame and hot pepper work beautifully against more staid flavors, so consider serving them next to a traditional roast chicken or turkey. They also are delicious draped over a pile of rice.